The Student Health Center’s Specialty Clinic additional fees will be abolished beginning in the fall 2009 semester.
The current additional fees are $10 per initial visit and $5 for a follow-up visit, on top of the student health service fee, which is included in each student’s fee bill every semester.
The elimination of the fees are a way to enhance the scope of services included in the student health fee and increase the accessibility to health care for LSU students, said Julie Hupperich, associate director of the Student Health Center.
“The current fees are far less than comparable services in the community,” said Hupperich. “Our students are able to see some of the premier specialists in the Baton Rouge community for $10 per initial visit versus $100-$150 per initial visit in another clinic.”
The services available to students at the Specialty Clinic are dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedics and ear, nose and throat.
Dental screenings are available at no additional charge, except for special procedures.
International Studies senior Jean-Paul Oswald said he feels it is convenient and more logical for him to go to the dermatologist at the Student Health Center instead of going to another clinic. “Getting preventative health care now for less can hopefully lower the cost down the road.”
The dermatology clinic is the most used service in the Specialty Clinic. In response to student demand over the years, the Student Health Center hosts the dermatology clinic for the greatest number of hours each week, said Hupperich.
“We feel really fortunate to have the caliber of specialists who come into the Student Health Center on campus to hold clinic for our students,” said Hupperich. “It provides an invaluable service to them, one that few other student health centers in the country offer.”—-Contact Jennifer Raines at [email protected]